'Generously giving': Church collects around 1,500 coats to give out to kids for winter
A church in South Dakota has collected and distributed over 1,500 winter coats for children as part of an annual charity drive.
Harvest Church of Sioux Falls purchased over 1,500 children's coats through its annual Kidz-n-Coats giveaway event, the most coats the charity had received in its 16-year history.
Kidz-N-Coats Giveaway Coordinator Teresa Blauwet told The Christian Post that about 1,400 of the coats were given away to needy families earlier this month, while the remaining 100 are slated to be donated to local children-centered charities.
The charity program began in 2009 when Harvest Pastor Charlie Dial's son gave away his coat to a friend at his school, Blauwet said.
"This brought the attention and awareness to them that there are children in South Dakota in the cold winter season who were without proper winter gear," she continued.
"It started small, with providing about 20 coats to kids locally. It has continued to grow since then. We now do a large golf tournament to raise our funds to purchase all of our coats brand new."
Blauwet said 2025 is "our largest year," saying the program has "slowly grown over the years."
For the distribution, the church oversees "one large giveaway" in which a "child can receive a coat when attending the giveaway" event. Blauwet said the "remaining coats" are going to "local organizations that also know of children in need."
Charities that will receive the remaining coats include Compassion Childcare, Volunteers of America, and foster care networks, among others.
"We believe that in generously giving coats to those who are in need, we are being the light that Jesus instructed us to be," Blauwet explained to CP.
"Not only are we helping meet a need in our community, we are also training up disciples within our church. Disciples who are being taught to love and serve their community around them."
Harvest Church is not the only congregation that gives away winter coats to children on an annual basis.
In 2009, Greater Grace Temple of Detroit, Michigan, teamed up with Happy's Pizza to coordinate "Happy's Coats 4 Kids," with the effort resulting in around 10,000 coats being given to needy children in the first few years of its existence.
Melvin Epps, the communications director for Greater Grace, told CP in a 2011 interview that his church has "had numerous parents tell us what a Godsend this really is for them."
"We were delighted as we see meeting needs in our community as the church's purpose. That is, meeting spiritual and natural needs. We believe that love requires taking action," Epps said.
